Sir New York Sept 4. 1787 Your Letter of the 26 April last respecting Your brothers Settlement has been received — in Answer to which I have to inform you, that he is returned on the Arrangement of the Georgia Line, as having [undecipherable] his [undecipherable] in disgust to the Service; that the Commission which Came enclosed in your letter appears to have given originally to Some other Person of a different rank, whose name has been erased, and that of Edward Wood, inserted in the place of it; and that by a resolution of Congress limiting the Exhibition of all Army Claims to the first of August 1788 he is totally precluded from a Settlement in my Office, was his Claim ever so well evidenced, without a special resolution of Congress for that Purpose. M^r James Wood Georgia. Sir New York September 19^th 1787 Joseph Clay Esq^r. who Acted as Deputy Paymaster to the Southern Army, had a Sum of Money directed to him by [undecipherable], in the year 1781 Consisting of the New Emissions emitted by the Legislature under the Act of Congress of [undecipherable] 18. 1780 which the [undecipherable] to whom I entrusted this business, received from the States of Maryland & Virginia and delivered on the the 27 July 1781 into the hands of M^r William Alexander to deliver to M^r. Clay, who was not present to receive it, as will appear by the Copies N^o. 1. 2. 3. On the 3^d of August following, M^r. Clay came to the place where this money was deposited, and received the same into his hands, and for which he Acknowledges himself answerable, as appears by the Inclosed Copy N^o. 4. and also by his Account Current. In a May 1785 when I was in Savannah, he [undecipherable] to my hands his Account and Vouchers for Settlement among which was included the Attested Paper N^o. 5. in which he has supposed that this money never came into his hands, and that he is accountable only for the part he has Attested that he has received. But on the examination of his Accounts before the Comptroller of the Treasury, it has been determined, that M^r. Clay is Answerable, for the whole Sum to the United States, because of his above mentioned Acknowledgements, and because he was the Confidential Officer of Congress to whom it was directed, and by whom it was received, and that it was his duty and no other persons to have seen its Safety. It was however the wish of the Treasury Board not to have Called on M^r Clay, but having made diligent search to find M^r. Alexander, he has not been heard of; and M^r. Clay having informed me that the money had fallen into his hands, of W. Alexander unless he was also [undecipherable] after said in having received [undecipherable], has not produced the money, but on the Contrary, there is strong [undecipherable] that he has carefully disposed of it to his own Advantages. the Board therefore [undecipherable] so formidable a Person, think proper to Call on that Officer whose Appointment & Obligation has made him responsible to the Public for the Same, and have therefore Authorized and directed me, [undecipherable], to take the most Efficient Steps to recover from M^r. Clay by a legal process, the balance which he thus Left in W. Alexanders hands Amounting to [undecipherable] six hundred dollars, which is now to [undecipherable] together with the Interest on the same at 5 P^r C^t since the [undecipherable] of its emission which must have been given to [undecipherable]. My reason therefore, in Writing to you is by the express directions of the Board to employ you as an Attorney to Collect this money from M^r. Clay in the most direct and effectual manner as the Public Interest must not be injured any further by a delay. When it is necessary the Originals of the papers now Inclosed to you as you may want shall be forwarded for the Support of any Action that you shall Commence on that business; your fees and such expenses as you shall be put to in this business I will see you repaid; if M^r. Clay should recover any Part of this money from the Person, to whom he extended it, and whom it is you [undecipherable] operate as far as [undecipherable] are discharged on his Acc^t provided that it is the same emission he received & the Interest [undecipherable] to not been drawn. Nath^l Pendleton Esq^r. Georgia